Welding machine



c. MOTT WELDING MACHINE Jam 19, 1954 s. Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 24, 1952 C. MOTT WELDING MACHINE Jan. -19, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 24, 1952 Jan. 19, 1954 c, -r 2,666,834

WELDING MACHINE Filgd June 24, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 i atented Jan. 19, 1954 aces-i834 WELDING MACHINE ChesterMott, deceased, late of Evanston,'Ill by George A. Mott; executor, Evanston, 111., as-' signor to Fansteel Metallurgical Corporatioma corporation of. New York Application June 24", 1952, Serial No. 295,307

13 Claims. (Cl. 219- 8) This invention relates to a welding machine,

and is particularly adapted for-butt welding flat sheets having extensive area.

- The machine of the present invention may beused for all kinds of butt" welding, but it is particularly useful in connection with welding under inert atmospheres. Thus, for example, in butt welding of tantalum, stainless steel, and even ordinary metals such as sheet iron, it may be desirable-to provide an inert atmosphere around the weld region and around the hot weld. Such atmospheres tend'to' promote good welds. In butt welding of large thin sheets of metal, considerable difficulty is experienced. in controlling the metal so that proper welding can occur. It is, of course, essential that the metal be supported in" the region of the weld so that proper control over the relative positions of the metal sheets may be maintained. I

A machine embodying the present'invention is characterized by simplicity and. may be used under the most adverse conditions, such as, for example, obtain in butt welding of tantalum. An exemplary embodiment of the invention will be described in connection with the drawings, it beingv understood, however, that substantial variations and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Referring therefore to the drawings? Figure 1 is a top plan view of a machine emb'odying the present invention, the sides of the bed plate being broken off and the'top plate being cut away;

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the machine shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side View with certain parts'broken away of the machine shown in Figures 1 and 2;

and

Figure 4 is a sectional detail on line 4-4 of Figure 1.

The machine comprises legs l and H (Fig.- 2) of any desired construction, supporting bed plate:

ally flat.

Supported at the two sides of bed plate l2 are posts (Fig. 2) extending upwardly from the bed plate. These posts support plate I! at a distance above the bed plate. Plate ll has threaded bosses it through which extend pins 20. Pins are loose in bosses l8 and are anchored to a floating plate 22. Pins 20 have the top por. tions 23 threaded and are engaged by stop nuts 24'. The drop of floating plate 22 is controlled by Bed plate [2 may have any desired shape and, as shown in Figure 1, is generally rectangw lar.v Bedplate 12 has top face I3 whichis gener the position of nuts 24 with respect to the top surface of plate ll. compression coil spring 25 extending between the v top surface of floating plate 22 and adjusting nut 25 cooperatingwith the threaded portion of boss each pin 2'8'to compress the corresponding coil spring 25. Floating plate 22 is spring-pressed to a desired bottom position from which position the fioatingplate may be" elevated-against the compression of the various springs. As many such fiexible'suspensions may be-provided as are necessary. As shown in Figure 1, there are four provided.

Across the front of'iioating plate 22 are rollers 3'0 to 33 extending transversely of the machine. Rollers 35 and 3l'form one unit and rollers 32 and 33 form-a second unit. Rollers 39 and ti are mounted upon common shaft 35 supported in pillow blocks 36 and 37, respectively. Pillow block 36 is rigidly secured by bolts 38 to floating plate 22'. Pillow block 31 is also secured by bolts 39" to plate 22. It will be noted that bolts 39 for pillow block 3? pass through slots to in the fioat ihg'plate'. These slots are inclined somewhat to each other and permit the horizontal adjustment of roller axis 3-5 around-the center of pillow block 36. It is understood that bolts 38 for pillow block: 36 will be sufficiently loose so that some move mentof pillow block 36; with respect to the conter of the block, is permitted. Thus, rollers 33 and 31 and axle 3il-f'or the rollers may have a limited degree of adjustment in a horizontal plane;

Rollers 32 and 33 are similarly mounted. Floating plate 22' is cut-out below rollers 39 to 33 inclusive, so that each roller may extend through floating plate 22 and towardfaceit of bed plate l2 (Fig. 2). Between the bottoms of rollers 3! and 32 there is aspace generally indicated by numeral 42 where the welding region is located. The roller axes intersect atpa point above the weld region.

To the rear of'rollers 36420 33 inclusive is roller 44 consisting of parts 35 and it separated by groovedportion 41. Rollers it and it have shaft 48 mounted in pillow blocks 59 and 5c. of shaft 48 is transverse oi the machine while grooved portion 47 of the rollers is located mid way overthe longitudinal axis of the machine to ride the weld line'of the work. Floating plate 22 (Fig; 2) is cut away below rollers as and it so that these rollers may extend below the plate toward face It ofbe'd plate It.

Surrounding each pin 23 is The axis Beyond pillow blocks 49 and 50 (Fig. 1) to the side are recesses 52 and 53 in bed plate l2. Floating plate 22 is also cut away to provide registering slots. Disposed in recesses 52 and 53 are alligator jaw clamps 54 and 55 attached to cables 56 and 51. Cables 56 and 51 extend rearwardly of the machine and'extend over idlers 53 and 50. The free ends of cables 56 and 5? may be attached to weights or other suitable tension means. Idlers 59 and '60 are disposed upon shaft 6| carrying worm gear 62 meshing with worm 63. Motor 64 drives worm 63 so that cables 56 and 51 maybe pulled rearwardly at any desired speed. Jaws 54 and 55 are of the alligator type or any other type so that they may grip the leading edges of sheets of metal therebetwecn for pulling. Thus, as shown, sheets 65 and 61 have leading edges 68 and t9 gripped by jaws 54 and 55. It is understood that sheets 66 and 61 are disposed between floating plate 22 and surface 13. of bed plate l2. Floating plate 22 is suitably adjusted so that the pressure of the various rollers on the plates hasthe value desired.

As previously pointed out, Where tantalum is being Welded, isolation of the welded material, while still hot, from other solid materials is essential to prevent alloying or contamination. To this end, plate 12 has recess 10 disposed along a median portion of the machine under the weld line. As shown, this recess is located midway between the sides of the machine. Recess HI is wide enough and deep enough to clear those parts of the tantalum which ordinarily will be at high enough temperature for alloying with iron or whatever material is used for plate I2. Recess it begins at weld region 42 and extends rearwardly of the machine. The recess may extend to the very rear of the machine if desired, although the tantalum will be cooled below any danger point in a much shorterdistance, as a rule.

Floating plate 22 is'slotted at 12, this slotbeing over recess HI. ,Slot'l2 extends from weld region 42 rearwardly of the machine and termimates in frontof rollers 45 and 46. The side wall of plate 22 at slot 12 is stepped to provide ledge 13 (Fig. 4). Resting on ledge 1 3'is gasket 14 of asbestos or other material capable of withstanding heat. Cover plate 16, shaped to fit over gasket #4, closes the top of the space defined by slot 12 and recess 10. Cover plate 16 may be of any suitable material, as iron, copper, aluminum, bronze, or Vycor. position by transverse locking strips 11 and I8 bolted to floating table 22. At front part 80 of the cover plate, the side wall for slot 12 extends across the longitudinal axis of the slot so that perfect sealing between cover plate 16 and floating plate 22 is provided. At rear portion.

Plate 12 is retained in.

This provides a sliding well known. The hood may be of Vycor, quartz,

metal, glass, or any suitable material. Inert gas inlet 8'! for the hood is provided. The hood is sealed to the cover plate in a suitable manner. Welding region 42 is within the hood (Fig. 1).

Carried by bed plate 12 in front of the welding region is tang 88. This tang extends high enough to reach the bottom of floating plate 22 and lies between the opposed tantalum edges. The tang width and its location in front of the point of welding (just beneath electrode is such that the tantalum edges make an angle of about 1 degree. The tang prevents one tantalum edge from riding over the other tantalum edge. The tang may be of steel, quartz or aluminum bronze. The latter is preferred because of its low coeflicient of friction with tantalum.

. To use the. machine, front rollers 30 to 33 inclusive are adjusted so that the axis of rollers 30 and 3|. and axis of rollers 32 and 33 are slightly askew, with about 1 misalignment. This will place the projections upon table 12 of the respective roller axes substantially perpendicular to the edges of the tantalum to be welded. The intersection of the roller axes is at a point substantially above the point of welding. .-In case metal other than. tantalum is worked on, it is possible to adjust the roller axes to alignment and eliminate tang 88. Metal sheets. are hand fed to the point of welding. An arc is struck or initiated and the sheets are fed into the machine until the alligator jaws can grip themetal; The floating plate is adjusted to a desired pressure on the sheets and the motor drive on the] machine will automatically feed the sheets past the Welding point. It is understood .th'at in't he event tantalum. is. being welded, inert gas,- as helium or argon, will be used as an enveloping atmosphere for the arc and also for that part,

of. the tantalum which is above about 400? C. Hence in the design of slot 12 the lengthshoulcl be enough so that a welded joint part. is cooled to about 400 C. when it reaches end 8| of the inert gas housing. As more fully explained in the application of Chester D. Mott, Serial No.

\ 265,688,, filed January 9, 1952,.helium at a pres-, sure of about 1 or.2 inches or water may be used.

Enough leakage occurs to wash out gaseous, impurities generated by the arc. preferably, a direct current are with the electrode ascathode.

Howeventhe machine may be used for butt welding iron sheets or other common metals.

When so used, the arc setup may be conventional as regards electrode material, polarity or type of current, or nature of the atmospherewithin the enclosed region undercover plate 16.- It is even possible to omit the cover plate if no,

protecting atmosphere is to be used. 1

The welding machin generally. is made: of

conventional materials. Thus, the plates may be of iron or steel. Tantalum has a high coeflicient of friction with iron and for that reason other materials may be desirable. Aluminum bronze,

consisting of aluminum and 5% coppeiyis" particularly desirable in that respect as tantalum will not bind on such a surface; It is possible,

therefore, to have the plates of aluminum bronze bronze or aluminum may alsobe used. Such ma: terials as ceramics, quartz or glass may similarly be used..

Instead of tank 58, the fixture disclosed in the .,copending application filed on the same day as The. are itself is Tang 88 may also be of aluminum bronze. Other metals as copper, brass,

.44 war.

acumen:

this application. by thesameainventor, Serial No. 285,306, may be used;

What is claimed is:

l. A machine for buttwelding: ofmetal sheets, said machine comprising. a flat stationary plate, a floating plate resiliently supportedabov said stationary plate, the sheets to bewelded lying between. said two. plates, rollers carried by: said floating plate, saidfloating plate-having cutouts through which roller portions ma extend for bearing against thetopsurf'aces of the sheets t'o be welded, the axes of sa-id rollers being generallyperpendicular to the line of butt welding, a welding means secured to said floating plate, said floating plate having a cutout at the weld region for providing access: of the welding means to the work, and means for guiding two metal sheets between the plates so that the edges to be buttwelded pass under the welding means.

2.; A machine for butt: welding ofsheets, said machine comprising a flat stationary plate, a floating plate resiliently supported above said stationary plate, the sheets to be welded lying between said two plates, rollers carried by said floating plate, said floating plate having cutouts through which roller portions may extend; for bearing against the top surfaces of the sheets to be welded, said two plates having clearances for accommodating the welld line, a housing carried by said floating plate, said floating plate having a cutout at the housing so that the housing interior communicates with the weld line clearances, a welding means carried within said housing, and means for guiding two metal sheets between the plates so that the edges to be butt welded pass through the weld region under the welding means and along the plate clearances.

3. The machine according to claim 2, wherein means are provided for guiding the sheets toward the weld region so that the sheet edges are at an angle to each other and wherein means are provided for adjusting the axes of certain of said rollers so that they are substantially perpendicular to the edges of the sheets to be welded, said rollers having their axes intersecting at a point located substantially above the weld region.

a. The machine according to claim 3, wherein said means for feeding the sheets at an angle comprise a tang disposed between the plates and ahead of the weld region, said tang being so dimensioned and positioned as to provide the desired angle of feed between the sheets.

5. A machine for butt welding of sheets, said machine comprising a flat stationary plate, a floating plate resiliently supported above said stationary plate, the sheets to be welded lying between said two plates, rollers carried by said floating plate, said floating plate having cutouts through which roller portions ma extend for bearing against the top surfaces of the sheets to be welded, means for adjusting the axes of certain of said rollers to vary the angle therebetween, the axes of said adjustable rollers intersecting at a point substantially above the weld region, a welding means supported on said floating plate at said weld region, said floating plate having a cutout for providing access of the welding means to the work, means for guiding two metal sheets between the plates so that the edges to be butt welded pass under the welding means and means cooperating with the leading edges of the sheets for pulling said sheets through the machine and past the weld region.

6. A machine for butt welding sheet material, said machine comprising a flat stationary plate,

a floating plate above. said stationary plate; .re-i sili'ent means for supporting said floating: plate at apredeter-mined. low position above which said" floating platemay be moved aganist the forceiof" the resilient supporting means, the sheets to: be weldedlying between said twe. plates, said ma.- c-hine. having. a front and rear with. the. work sheets being adapted to be moved during welding from thefifonttoward the rear of. the machine; rollers, carriedv by said floating plate, certain. of. said-.rollerslying near the front of. the machine with the roller-axes extending generally perpendicular to the line or" travel of the work, other rollers being disposed" near the rear of the. machinewith the axes parallel generally to the axes: of the-first named rollers, said machine having; a. median. portion thereof extending from. the. front to the rear of the machine along which theweld line is-adaptedto lie, th front rollersbeing dist? posedon-opposite sides of said. median portiorr of the. machine to" leave a welding region bee tween. said rollers, the rear rollers being: se-

cured across the median portion or the ma-- chine,said floating plate having cutoutsthrough: which. the lower part of the extend. for bearing against the top surfaces-of the sheets, said stationar plate having a recess-along. the median portion thereof from a point in front of the welding region to a point near the rear of the machine, said floating plate having a cooperating opposed recess along the median portion thereof, the floating plate at the welding region having a cutout, a welding shield and electrode carried by said floating plate at said cutout and adapted to generate a welding are at the work, said floating and stationary plates having the material thereof free of the work in the region of the weld region and in the neighborhood of the weld line for a distance toward the rear of the machine and means for feeding said sheets from the front of the machine toward the rear of the machine.

'7. The machine according to claim 6, wherein said floating plate has a portion cut out and has a housing above said cutout to provide the recess for cooperating with the recess in the stationary plate.

8. The machine according to claim 6, wherein a tang is disposed between said two plates in front of the welding region, said tang being dimensioned to guide opposed sheet metal edges toward the welding region at an angle of about 1 degree.

9. The machine according to claim 6, wherein the front rollers are secured in bearing blocks and wherein means are provided for adjusting said bearing blocks so that the axes of said front rollers may be moved into or out of alignment.

10. A machine for butt welding sheets of tantalum or the like, said machine comprising a flat stationary plate having a front and rear with the work sheets being adapted to move, from the front to the rear of the plate, a floating plate above said stationary plate, means for resiliently biasing said floating plate to a predetermined bottom position above said stationary plate, said machine having a median portion extending from the front of the plate to the back along which the weld line lies, rollers secured to said floating plate near the front edge thereof, there being at least one roller on one side of the median portion and another roller on the other side of the median portion, the space between rollers being a welding region, additional rollers carried by said floating plate near the rear of the marollers may:

chine, said additional rollers having portions on each side of the median portion of the machine, the axes of all of the rollers being generally parallel to the front of the machine, said stationary plate having a recess in the top face thereof from a point in front of the welding region to the rear of the machine, the floating plate having a cutout alongthe median portion of the machine from a point somewhat forward of the welding region to a point near the rear of the machine but in front of the additional rollers, said floating plate also having cutouts for the bottoms of said rollers to permit said rollers to bear against the top surfaces of the sheets," a housing carried by said floating plate above the median portion cutout, a welding shield and electrode carried by said floating plate and said housing above the welding region, the welding shield and housing operating with the two plates to form an enclosed region Within which the tantalum edges during welding and while they are hot may be'free of other physical material to prevent contamination, said welding torch being adapted to be supplied with an inert gas to provide a protecting atmosphere for the tantalum, means for adjusting the front rollers so that their axes may be moved out of alignment and means disposed between the two plates and located in front of the welding region for guiding the edges of the sheet tantalum toward the welding region at an angle. 11. The machine according to claim 10, wherein means are provided'for gripping the leading edges of the tantalum sheets and pulling them toward and beyond the rear of the machine.

12. The machine according to claim 11, wherein said means for pulling the leading edges of the metal comprise a pair of I clamps attached to cables and whereinsaid plates are'recessed to accommodate said clamps to permit the sheet material to move between the plates.

13. The machine according to claim 10, wherein at least the front rollers are of aluminum bronze to reduce friction with respect to the tantalum. I v

I GEORGE A. MOT'I'. Executor of the last will and testament of Chester References C itedain the ms of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

